Insights and Issues in the ongoing Jewish-Christian Dialogue

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This site is devoted to fostering mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Jews around the world. Here you will find articles, reviews, reports, official statements, and study resources on Jewish-Christian relations, as well as links to many related organizations. Please click on Contact to offer feedback or propose additions to the site.

Looking for new material? Here you can find a list of published articles of the last three months (right column):New material

ICCJ

International Council of Christians and Jews

This site is owned and maintained by the International Council of Christians and Jews, which has 38 Christian-Jewish and interreligious member organizations in 32 countries. Its headquarters is in the Martin Buber House in Heppenheim, Germany, where the great Jewish thinker lived until Nazi persecution forced him to flee.

Through its annual conferences and other consultations the ICCJ offers a platform where Christians, Jews, and in recent years Muslims as well, examine current issues across national and religious boundaries, providing the opportunity for face-to-face exchanges of experience and expertise.

The views expressed on this website do not necessarily represent the views of the ICCJ, its Executive Board, or its national member organizations. For more details please see our legal notice.

Articles | Scholarly Contributions

Dialogical Theology Moored in Buber’s Dialogical Philosophy

Ephraim Meir*| 01.05.2019

A growing interreligious theology is a challenge for any confessional theology. In confessional theology, one reflects first of all upon the own tradition and only in a second step upon the relation with other religions. ... [more]

Religious freedom advocates call on elected leaders to protect the ability to practice faith without fear

JCR| 01.05.2019

More than one hundred and forty religious liberty advocates from across the religious and political spectrum delivered a letter today to the White House and Congress asking elected leaders to ensure that individuals and communities are able to practice their religion without fear for their physical safety.
… [more]

Leo Baeck Summer University 2019 - Jewish Berlin - Past and Present

JCR| 01.04.2019

We still have a few free places and scholarships to offer! The deadline for applications has been postponed to April 15, 2019!
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A History of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East'

Heather Sharkey: A History of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East.ambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. 394 pp. $31.99.
… [more]

News (1)

Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: Bilateral dialogue holds biannual meeting

JCR| 31.12.2017

Tuesday, December 05 2017 - The national bilateral dialogue of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus met for its biannual meeting on 29 November 2017 at the Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal.
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Statements | Protestant (46)

On the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

The United Protestant Church of Belgium*| 31.01.2017

This letter to the President of the Central Israelite Consistory in Belgium, Mr. Philippe Markiewicz LL.M., was read by the President of the United Protestant Church in Belgium, Rev. Steven H. Fuite, on Thursday, December 1st 2016, in the Great Synagogue in Brussels during the 6th annual colloquium of the group “Juifs et chrétiens, engageons-nous!” (“Jews and Christians, let us commit ourselves!”). The colloquium was attended by more than 200 people who discussed recent statements on Jewish-Christian relations.
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"… he keeps faith forever." (Psalm 146:6)

Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany| 30.11.2016

Declaration of the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany in its 3rd Session.
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Martin Luther and the Jews. A necessary reminder on the occasion of the Reformation anniversary

Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)| 29.02.2016

Declaration, adopted during the 2nd session of the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), 8 to 11 November 2015, Bremen
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Statements | Joint Christian-Jewish (53)

The Demands of Our Time

ICCJ| 02.03.2019

Looking with alarm and revulsion upon the current resurgence of antisemitism in many countries the ICCJ publishes a statement entitled "The Demands of Our Time"
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The Dignity of the Human Being. Children in Jewish and Catholic Teaching

| 30.11.2018

16th Bilateral Commission Meeting of the Delegations of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
… [more]

Joint Reflections on the Declaration “Between Jerusalem and Rome”

| 30.11.2017

Bilateral Commission Meeting of the Delegations of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. Jerusalem, November 12-14, 2017; MarCheshvan, 23-25, 5778.
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Statements | Jewish (14)

Between Jerusalem and Rome - כלל ופרט בין ירושלים לרומי

The Conference of European Rabbis[*] and The Rabbinical Council of America[**]| 31.01.2017

The Shared Universal and the Respected Particular. Reflections on 50 Years of Nostra Aetate.
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To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians

| 31.12.2015

After nearly two millennia of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe recognize the historic opportunity now before us. We seek to do the will of our Father in Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters. Jews and Christians must work together as partners to address the moral challenges of our era.
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Declaration for the Upcoming Jubilee of Brotherhood

On November 23, 2015 at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, the "Declaration for the Upcoming Jubilee of Brotherhood," signed by various persons of the French Jewish world (Jean-François Bensahel, Rabbi Philippe Haddad, Rabbi Rivon Krygier, Raphy Marciano, Franklin Rausky), was presented by the Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia to Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris. An unofficial English translation of the statement follows.
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Statements | Ecumenical (21)

The Kairos Palastine Document

| 31.07.2010

We, a group of Christian Palestinians, after prayer, reflection and an exchange of opinion, cry out from within the suffering in our country, under the Israeli occupation, with a cry of hope in the absence of all hope, a cry full of prayer and faith in a God ever vigilant, in God's divine providence for all the inhabitants of this land. Inspired by the mystery of God's love for all, the mystery of God's divine presence in the history of all peoples and, in a particular way, in the history of our country, we proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging - a word of faith, hope and love.
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Statement on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

World Counil of Churches (WCC)| 05.09.2009

1. While the decision of the United Nations (UN) of 1947 (Resolution 181) to establish two states in the land of Palestine was partially achieved with the creation of the state of Israel, the second part of this resolution is still waiting for realization: the establishment of a Palestinian state.
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Holocaust/Shoah: Its Effects on Christian Theology and Life in Argentina and Latin America

Statements | Roman Catholic (64)

For a Christian any form of antisemitism is a rejection of one’s own origins, a complete contradiction

Pope Francis| 01.04.2019

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to members of the American Jewish Committee, Vatican, Consistory Hall, Friday, 8 March 2019.
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Friendship and dialogue between Jews and Christians need to pass beyond the boundaries of the scientific community

Pope Francis| 01.04.2019

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis at the meeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Agostino Bea, Vatican, Consistory Hall, Thursday, 28 February 2019.
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Bishops of Holy Land Coordination release statement after their visit to Israel and Palestine

| 01.02.2019

STATEMENT – The Holy Land Coordination stands in solidarity with all Christians in Israel and Palestine. Our ongoing advocacy for a just peace is informed by an annual pilgrimage to meet with our sisters and brothers, listen to them, and witness the challenges they face. This year our focus has been those Christians who live in the state of Israel.
… [more]

Articles | Observations & Experiences (177)

Approaching Passover and Easter: The Past and Future of Jewish-Christian Relations

Ron Kronish| 01.05.2019

As we approach the holidays of Passover and Easter, we are mindful that this used to be a time of great tension historically between Christians and Jews. “Good Friday”–the Friday before Easter– was often a time of anti-Jewish pogroms in medieval Europe, with the blood libel and accompanying violence haunting the Jews all over Europe for centuries.
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“The Roots of Jews and Christians are the Same, Our Future lies in recognizing this”

Lisa Palmieri-Billig*| 01.04.2019

A personal interview with Dr. Etienne Vetö, the priest who directs the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies.
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Articles | Fundamentals & Introductions (127)

Rabbi Dr. Michael A. Signer (1945-2009)

| 01.05.2019

Ten Years ago on January 10, 2009, Rabbi Michael Signer, one of the most outstanding figures of Jewish-Christian relations of recent times, died after a long battle against cancer. He was as one of the four authors of the groundbreaking 2000 statement Dabru Emet, subtitled “A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity”. In memory of his person and his work, the following biographical sketch is published.*
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"I am Joseph, Your Brother"

| 01.05.2019

A documentary film (59 min.) from 2001, which follows the dramatic changes in the relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people over the past half century.
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Women’s Wisdom in the Hebrew Bible

Articles | Scholarly Contributions (173)

Reflections on the recent Orthodox Jewish Statements on Jewish-Catholic Relations

David Rosen| 01.03.2019

It is not surprising that the new era of Christian–Jewish relations was pioneered by the more liberal trends within the two faith traditions. The modern age of enlightenment and emancipation led to the emergence of new streams of Judaism and brought Jews increasingly into the social mainstream leading to the growing reevaluation of the Jewish-Christian relationship.
… [more]

Martin Buber’s Sweet Sacrament of Dialogue

Kenneth P. Kramer*| 31.12.2018

Martin Buber (1878-1965) stands among the most significant philosophers of the 20th century. While many studies have attempted to summarize the scope of Buber’s writings, here I will highlight some key implications of Buber’s basic insight that there exists a deeply reciprocal bond between genuine interhuman dialogue and the divine-human relationship.
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Statements | Orthodox (3)

To Recognize Christ in His People: Declaration by a Round Table of Eastern Orthodox Priests and Cultural Representatives

| 31.05.2007

Twelve Eastern Orthodox priests and lay leaders from Greece, Georgia, Italy, Russia, and Ukraine issued this statement at the conclusion of a five-day visit to Jerusalem, April 20-24, 2007.
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Statement by Metropolitan Yuvenali (Russian Orthodox Church) on the Alleged "Ritual" Nature of the Murder of the Royal Family

Metropolitan Yuvenali| 31.05.2005

In its historical analysis of the Ekaterinburg tragedy, the Commission could not avoid dealing with the question of the so-called ritual murder of the royal family, which continues to be the subject of press articles.
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Communique of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Regarding Anti-Semitic Posters

| 30.04.2005

Upon learning the facts with regard to the anti-Semitic posters and graffiti that appeared in Belgrade on March 22 of this year, as well as of earlier, similar and in some cases even more blatant, inhumane and malicious demonstrations of prejudice and intolerance toward the Jewish people, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, convened today, March 24, in prayerful memory of the innocent victims of the bombing by the NATO alliance, wishes to communicate the following
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Statements | Interreligious (6)

The specific multi-religious character of Jerusalem / Al-Quds Acharif must be protected

| 01.05.2019

Appeal by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Holiness Pope Francis regarding Jerusalem / Al-Quds the Holy Citiy and a place of encounter. Issued during the apostolic journey of Pope Francis to Marocco, 30-31 March, 2019.
… [more]

Israel, Palestinians & Mid-East

| 31.12.2016

Declaration of the Spain Summit for Religious Peace in the Middle East
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International Abrahamic Forum condemns German ban on circumcision

International Abrahamic Forum| 09.07.2012

The International Abrahamic Forum is deeply concerned by the recent ban on circumcision by the court in Cologne, Germany.
… [more]